10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2022

” Funny how the difficulty of breeding a species can be illustrated in simple monetary terms. I saw them at Ayers Rock which while I was there had the worst floods in memory (my parents in Germany thought I must be traveling under a bad star, as they heard about these floods in the German news and knew I was there at that time).

Birds 147

Birds Australia Sheep Zebras 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2018

According to a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study, human-induced climate change has doubled the area affected by forest fires in the western U.S. Birds are able to fly away, but their nests and eggs can be destroyed. References: 1 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. over the last 30 years.

Wildlife 103

Wildlife Sacramento Shelters Science 103

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

It’s not often that we have the opportunity to glimpse the home life of albatrosses, nor of any seabird species. Where does the female Emperor Penguin go after she has produced that one egg and handed it over to the male for incubation? Technology to the rescue! What about incubation shifts?

Albatross 114

Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 114

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

More than 150 bird species are known to have become extinct over the past 500 years, and many more are estimated to have been driven to extinction before they became known to science. The Gray Crowned-Crane is a new addition to the list of the world’s Endangered species, creeping up a category from Vulnerable.

Endangered Species 194

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 194

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2015

The species was in the news because some scientists had finally managed (or bothered – it’s much the same thing) to locate the population high in the mountains of the Solomon Islands, and catch and photograph one. I can understand why some people are conflicted, but the value to science of the collections is immense.

Collecting 225

Collecting Solomon Islands New Zealand Fiji 225

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2022

Gisela Kaplan has written a book about the species, and how they seem unperturbed by humans: “It’s one of their most successful defense strategies. When these birds breed, this can lead to highly cringeworthy announcements, for example from Adelaide Zoo : “We have egg-citing news!” This is what killed James Dean.

Birds 234

Birds Australia Ducks Mountain Goats 234

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2014

The local Bald Eagles are getting busy, I suspect there is an egg in the nest. The birds were too far away to identify, and I know more than one species does this, but if I had to guess they were starlings. There is a bit of science news. But if half of the species of goatsuckers go extinct, you’ve got a lot less left.

Birds 181

Birds Bald Eagle Zoos Philippines 181